June Wrap Up

This was a very average reading month in terms of quality… nothing new I really loved and a couple disappointing reads unfortunately.

The books I read in June were:

Barbarian Alien, Barbarian Love & Barbarian Mine by Ruby Dixon – all ⭐️3/5 stars

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Happy Place by Emily Henry⭐️3/5 stars

What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall⭐️3/5 stars

Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest ⭐️3/5 stars

Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey⭐️2/5 stars

Barbarian’s Prize by Ruby Dixon ⭐️2/5 stars

Terms & Conditions by Lauren Asher⭐️3/5 stars

Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese⭐️3/5 stars

The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda

Cackle by Rachel Harrison ⭐️2/5 stars

Mid Year Book Freakout Tag

Picture1A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas

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Picture2Finley Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano

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Picture3A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon

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Picture4The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young

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Picture5Cackle by Rachel HarrisonThis was my own fault, I was expecting something different

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Picture6The Arrangement by Robyn Harding – liked this a lot more than what I thought I would!

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Picture7Bolu Babalola

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Picture8Brendan!! He was everything I love lol

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Picture9Carrie Soto

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Picture10This didn’t make me cry but I was very sad…

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Picture11The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

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Picture12Haven’t read one yet but I would love to watch a movie/tv show adaptation of:

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

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For the fourth year in a row my favourite posts are my monthly stats!

January Stats      |      February Stats     |       March Stats     |      April Stats     |      May Stats

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Near the Bone by Christina Henry – I just love this edition

Photo 29-6-2023, 6 16 18 pmPhoto 29-6-2023, 6 16 21 pm

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❄️Winter TBR❄️

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is the books I plan to read this Winter! I’m in the mood for a lot more mystery/thrillers, cozy mysteries, fantasies, and romances as well so that is what I am going to try and pick up over the next couple of months. These are the ten that are at the top of those genre’s:

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The Only One Left by Riley Sager

A Good Day to Pie by Misha Popp

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon

Sign Here by Claudia Lux

A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette

Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda

Secretly Yours Review

Hallie Welch fell hard for Julian Vos at fourteen, after they almost kissed in the dark vineyards of his family’s winery. Now the prodigal hottie has returned to their small town. When Hallie is hired to revamp the gardens on the Vos estate, she wonders if she’ll finally get that smooch. But the grumpy professor isn’t the teenager she remembers and their polar opposite personalities clash spectacularly. One wine-fueled girls’ night later, Hallie can’t shake the sense that she did something reckless–and then she remembers the drunken secret admirer letter she left for Julian. Oh shit.

Hallie’s character I didn’t really gel with. She’s supposedly 27/28 years old and she honestly acts as if she is 20-22. Running around town, getting drunk and vandalizing businesses whilst being very cavalier in her own business ( showing up whenever she wants). I understand she is still mourning her grandmother but I don’t think that’s an excuse to throw away all sense of composure and decency. I feel like she needs to grow up and maybe book that appointment with her therapist she keeps putting off and start to heal properly.

Julian I didn’t really like all that much as well. He is very standoffish and he also knows he has a lot of issues that he kept pent up and won’t get any kind of help for it. For the most part he is quite comfortable sticking to his routines and burying all of those emotions further and further down until the inevitable break down. Also in the smutty scenes where he whips out all of this dirty talk was very jarring and kind of pulled me out of the story.

I did however, really enjoy the setting and premise of the plotline. If these character were a bit more memorable and slightly more mature maybe it would of worked a bit better for me. I kept waiting for twists and conflicts and passion but overall it was just a bit weak.

⭐️2/5 stars I felt unfulfilled